The Navajo Bridge, opened to traffic in 1929, eliminated the worst danger on the highway: the Lee’s Ferry crossing. Sandwiched between
sheer vertical cliffs, it was barely possible to construct dugways down to the river from the surrounding plateaus. Sharlot Hall* wrote, “The
road looked as if it had been cut out of the red clay mountains with a pocket knife; sometimes it hung out over the river so we seemed
sliding into the muddy current and again the cliffs above hung over till one grew dizzy to look.”

No one could cross the Colorado River at the height of spring runoff when 100,000 cubic feet of water blasted by each second. In
drought years, the river could be waded; some travelers would risk a crossing on foot if the winter ice was thick. Eleven people lost their
lives in the nearly 60 years of ferry service, which closed for good in 1928 when the boat capsized, washing away a Model T and drowning three passengers.

Six miles downstream, Navajo Bridge rises 67 feet above the river, the world’s highest highway span when it was built. The bridge
formed an essential link for the residents of the Arizona Strip, isolated from the rest of the state, including their county seat in Flagstaff. In
1995, vehicular traffic shifted to a wider bridge installed a few yards to the south. The old structure remains open to foot traffic, serving
visitors to an interpretive center hosted by the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

* Sharlot Hall wrote one of the earliest travel guides to the Colorado Plateau region. Hall never married, but ran her aging parents’ ranch
near Prescott while working as a contributor and editor for a Los Angeles magazine. A political appointee as Arizona’s territorial historian, Hall wrote about her remarkable trip to the Kaibab Plateau and Arizona Strip in 1911, in which she and a hired guide traveled more than 1,000 miles by wagon to collect first-person pioneer histories.

One of my favorite things about a roadtrip is eating in new places. High-brow, low-country, I’ll try them all. I’ve driven the entire historic route of U.S. Highway 89 for my project, a lot of miles, a lot of meals. I want good food after a hard day’s photography, and I have found some great places to eat. Here are some of my favorite places:

The last thing I’d expect in a rural Utah restaurant is an extensive vegetarian menu. It looked good, but I had the elk. I’d stay in Kanab on the way to Zion NP so I could eat here again. Full bar too, not always easy to find in Southern Utah.

Springdale isn’t on Highway 89, but it is the main gateway to Zion. The chef at the Spotted Dog is sourcing scallops, salmon, and other gourmet items, and he knows what to do with them.
An “eat your fancy food in fleece and flannel” kind of place, one where I feel comfortable eating alone.

A real coffee shop, full American breakfast. And a full liquor license. Hopefully you won’t need both at the same time.

Salina

Mom’s Cafe

Save room for pie.

Salt Lake City

Coffee Garden

Two locations, one in Sam Weller’s Bookstore on Main Street. I’m not a coffee drinker, but my husband says the Coffee Garden staff can make the best latte on the planet. (There’s one other place in Auckland, but it’s not on Highway 89.) If I’m in town, I’ll be having one of their pastries for breakfast on Saturday morning. And free wireless.

I’ll stop here for a sandwich and snacks on my way into the park. The deli is full-stocked with takeaway foods for the road.

Grand Teton National Park

Mural Room, Jackson Lake Lodge

There are several classic national park lodge dining rooms on the Highway 89 tour, like El Tovar and the Old Faithful Lodge. I enjoy the dining experience in all of them, but I like the food at the Mural Room best.

A small chain of Montana restaurants that doesn’t feel like it. The Great Falls location is next to the Missouri River, the patio lovely, the staff charming.

Choteau

Log Cabin Cafe

Another fabulous pie place, if you get there early enough.

Babb

Cattle Baron Supper Club

Don’t be misled by the simple exterior – winters are hard in Montana. The food is inside, big beautiful pieces of beef. This is not a place for light appetites or vegetarians. The waiter tried to interest us in dessert, a comical proposition considering the steak I had eaten.

These are my recommendations, but keep in mind that I haven’t eaten everywhere (yet). If I missed your favorite road food spot on Highway 89, won’t you please leave a comment with the details?

The original route of US89 arcs beneath the Vermilion Cliffs. In 1957, after the completion of the Glen Canyon bridge, traffic on US89 was retoured through Page, AZ. The original section was renumbered as US89A

Welcome to US89.com. This site is being developed to be showcase places, organizations, and events–all connected by the greatest highway in the west. If you would like to become a correspondent or list an event for your section of the highway, please get in touch!
Safe travels!